Empire of the Hare

By Katherine A Roberts

A short tale of Queen Boudicca's rebellion against the Roman Empire, seen through the eyes of her eldest daughter.

When Ralla's father dies, leaving half his wealth to his queen and two daughters, the Romans send soldiers to seize the Iceni lands and punish his family. Ralla's mother Boudicca leads a rebellion of British tribes with the support of the druids, but Ralla finds her loyalty tested as her Roman lover stands in the path of the Iceni army.

A powerful piece of historical fiction from the award-winning author of 'I am the Great Horse'.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katherine Roberts
• Release date: Dec 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386883784

Book preview

Introduction

THIS SHORT TALE ABOUT Queen Boudicca’s daughters was short-listed for the Library of Avalon Geoffrey Ashe prize on its first publication in 1998. I was invited to the presentation ceremony in Glastonbury (which some believe to be the mythical Avalon), and can still remember driving there in the dusk with the lone Tor looming out of the mist to send a shiver down my spine. It was not an easy story to write, because history tells us the Romans were not kind to the rebel queen and her daughters, but using an element of fantasy enabled me to explore their feelings from a safer distance than a straight historical account might have done.

This ebook is being published under my middle initial ‘Katherine A Roberts’ to distinguish it from my younger fiction, so please use caution if sharing with underage readers. You can find details of all my fiction, together with suggested reading ages, on my website:

www.katherineroberts.co.uk

BRITANNIA

AD 61

~ I ~

THE TROUBLE STARTED with Father’s will. He divided the wealth of the Iceni and gave a mere half to Emperor Nero. The other half he left to his queen, with the understanding she should rule in his place when the spirits finally claimed him.

It might have been the way things were done in my grandparents’ day, but it certainly wasn’t the way our conquerors ruled. Classicianus, the Prefect’s tax collector, had been most anxious I should understand our position upon Father’s death. Submit as Roman women do, he advised. "Then Nero will allow you to stay in your home. The only thing you’ll lose is